Easy open cap and method of making the same



AF51 17, 1934 J. M. Ho'THl-:RsALL 1,954,816

EASY OPEN CAP AND METHOD OF MAKING THE SAIE Filed July 30. 1952l Ily j@ j \f muuu i Patented Apr. 17, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFicE EAsY oPEN CAP AND METHOD oF MAKING THE SAME John M. Hothersall, Brooklyn, N. Y., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application July 30, 1932, Serial No. 626,482

5 Claims.

The present invention relates to the manufacture of easy open caps for container closure parts and has for its object the improvement and simplification of their construction. Such caps are provided for the purpose of forming a sealing element for a container and this element usually embodies a lining or gasket sealing material which is used to effect a tighter seal.

The principal object of the present invention is the provision of a method of drawing a cap shell from a at composite sheet which had previously been formed by the union of a sheet of fibrous material with a sheet of metal, such as ordinary tinplate, and then cutting through the fibre lining and scoring the metal to set off an easily removable area and by this procedure to provide an easy open cap.

A further and important object of the invention is the provision of a method for producing a cap of the character described in which a brous lining material is so securely associated with the metal from which the cap is made that all contacting parts of liner and cap are held in a secure bond throughout all of the steps in the formation of the cap from the flat composite sheet and also throughout its subsequent use as a closure cap.

Still another object of the invention is the provision of a method for forming easy open metal caps which are lined with a resilient, gasket material and which are scored to permit removal of a portion of the cap in the opening of the container with which the cap is associated, this scoring operation simultaneously cutting into both the metal of the cap and the lining material and defining a removable area to insure easy opening.

Numerous other objects of the invention will be apparent as it is better understood from the foregoing description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawing:

Figure 1 is a sectional view of a cap formed in accordance with the present methodwhich is shown as applied to a container part, also in section, this container part comprising a projecting nozzle, a fragmentary part of the wall of the container being also illustrated in section;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vsectional view of `certain cooperating die parts for cutting a disc from a composite sheet and for drawing it into shell form, this view illustrating the operating parts in their relation to the composite sheet prior to any cutting or forming operation; and

Fig. 3 is a similar view of certain cooperating schematically, only suicient of the principal die parts which are needed to exemplify the steps i of operation in carrying out the present invention. A composite sheet of metal and fibrous material is used as the raw material. This is first operated upon by a blanking mechanism and a disc is blanked or cut from the composite sheet. fSuch a disc is, therefore, also composite in its nature for a purpose which will be made clear as the description proceeds.

The outer annular edge of this disc is held in a slip grip by parts of the cutting mechanism as it is drawn over an anvil member and lbrought into cupped or shell form. The held disc edge' is progressively withdrawn from the slip grip dur'- ing this formative step. The fully shaped shell is then inserted in a suitable die scoring mechanism which cuts entirely through the fibrous lining of the shell and forms a score line in the sheet metal of the shell adjacent the out in the lining. This score line defines a section or area of the cap which may be easily removed for effecting an opening into the container with which the cap is subsequently associated.

The composite sheet material referred to comprises a sheet of metal 21 (Fig. 2) and a sheet of fibrous material 22, these two materials being firmly united and bonded together by a suitable adhesive 23 interposed between the adjacent faces of the two sheet parts. This adhesive may be applied in any suitable manner, preferably while the sheets are in fiat form. This fiat condition, during the gluing together of metal and fibre, allows for the formation of an improved bond between the sheet parts. The adhesive or bonding material 23 is allowed to fully set and the sheet parts firmly united prior to the steps of operation now to be described and further working of the composite sheet does not disturb this bond or union.

This composite sheet is first acted upon by a cutting and drawing punch and die mechanism which comprises a stationary annular cutedge 25 (Fig. 2) in which is slideably disposed an annular draw ring 26 which surrounds a stationary drawing anvil die block 27. In unoperated position the upper face of the cutedge 25 is fiush The inner or vertical wall of the draw ring 26 is spaced from the outer or vertical wall of the die block 27 by a distance equal to the thickness of the composite sheet, this spacing providing a draw pocket 30 for a purpose hereinafter to be described.

'Ihe upper face of the die block 27 is Yformed with a suitable panelled contour 31, this being the desired shape of the central section of the drawn cap. The uppermost outer edge of the die block 27, formed as a rim 32, is slightly below the lower surface of the composite sheet 21, 22 when the latter rests upon the upper surface of the parts 25, 26 in its inserted position within the die mechanism. This position is illustrated in Fig. 2 and the composite sheet so placed is ready for the iirst or cutting operation. y

A cutting and drawing punch 35 cooperates with the die parts just described being formed with an annular body section 36 having outer and inner diameters corresponding in size and shape to the outer and inner diameters of the draw ring 26, this punch having a vertical movement relative to the die parts for the cutting and drawing operations. A punch center pad 37 is located within the punch 35 and is seated in the body 36, this pad having relative movement inside of its punch pocket.

Pad 37 is carried upon the lower end of a rod 38 mounted for suitable operation within the cutting and drawing press with which the punch and die parts are associated. The lower face of the center pad 37 is formed with a shaped surface 39 whose contour corresponds to the surface 31, this being the shape required in the panel of the nished drawn cap.

To effect the cutting operation, the punch parts 35, 37 are preferably lowered until the lower face of the wall 36 engages the composite sheet resting upon the upper surface of the draw ring 26 and with the engaged sheet parts clamped therebetween, the descending punch 35 then forces the draw ring 26 downwardly against the action of supporting springs 41 which surround movable pin 42. This action constitutes a blanking operation, part of the composite sheet being forced downwardly against the inner cutting wall of the cutedge 25. A disc is thus severed from the sheet which has an outline corresponding to the inner cutting wall of the cutedge.

The punch parts continue their movement and the severed disc is thereupon caused to engage the anvil die block 27 and the outer edge of the disc, which is then held in a slip grip between the punch and die parts 36, 26, is gradually drawn from the slip grip and moved into the space 30 formed between the die block 27 and the draw ring 26. At the same time the punch pad 37 engages the central part of the disc and cooperating with the drawing anvil block 27 causes the central part of the disc to conform to the contour` of the shaped surfaces 39, 31, which cooperate with each other and firmly clamp the disc center therebetween.

A drawn and nbre-lined shell results, designated by the numeral 45 in Fig. 3, which is of the desired shape and which is formed with an `outer body 46, this being the metal part 21 of in turn terminates in an outer vertical wall flange 52.

In order to form an easy opening feature for the drawn shell 45, it is inserted in suitable scoring mechanism which may consist of a scoring anvil die block 53 (Fig. 3) over which the drawn shell 45 is positioned. This die block is preferably formed with an annular score ridge 54.

The same drawing punch 35 and center pad 3-7or a diiferent punch unit of the same construction may be used to cooperate with the die block 53. To perform the scoring operation the punch parts 35, 37, or their equivalent, and the die block 53 are moved toward each other so that the annular wall 36 of the punch member surrounds and holds the drawn shell in position upon the anvil. As the parts 37, 53 approach sufficiently near, the annular score ridge 54 of the -die block 53 cuts entirely through the fibrous liner 47 and passes into the metal shell part 46.

An annular cut and scored section is thus formed in the drawn shell and is of the same shape and size as the scoring die'. Such a section consists of an annular channel 55 (Fig. 3) cut entirely through the liner 47 and a scored channel 56 extending partially through the outer metal wall of the shell. It will be understood that these lines of severance in the iibrous liner and the corresponding lines of weakness in the metal shell body will ordinarily follow the general shape of the cap, that is, if the cap is cylindrical the lines will be circular, but in any event, the lines will set off an area or section of the cap which can be easily broken away by completing the severance of the metal at the base of the Il() score 56.

To eifect a closure with such a formed and scored cap, it is only necessary for it to be placed on a container part and united in a sealed connection to provide a closure for Ithe container. 11'5 Figure 1 illustrates such an application of the cap to a container part, here shown as a. nozzle 61 which may be secured to a container 62 in any suitable joint 63. 'Ihe outer edge of the nozzle 61 is preferably bent inwardly at 64.

The cap may be applied to the nozzle 61 so that its flange wall 52 slips over or on the outside of the nozzle and the inclined wall 51 of the cap comes into position above the upper curved edge of the nozzle. The iibrous lining 47 at this position provides a gasket or sealing substance between the nozzle and cap parts and eifects a tight sealed joint when the cap is fully applied.

To hold the cap in assembled and sealing position the nozzle 61 is preferably formed With an inwardly extending groove 65 and the lower extremity of the cap flange 52 is bent inwardly at 66 (Fig. 1) to engage within this groove. This bending operation can be accomplished by any suitable crimping roller or squeezer die mechanism.

In order to open the container, it is only necessary to force asuitable object into the score line 56 from the top of the cap and pry out the dened weakened area. This action breaks the 140 metal around and in the base of the score line and permits easy removal of the center dome section 48 of the cap, thus providing access to the interior of the container.

It is thought that the invention and many of 145 its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the steps of the process described and their order of ackcomplishment without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages, the process hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. The process of producing easy open caps which comprises drawing a shell from a flat composite disc of closely united sheet metal and brous material so that the latter forms a lining on the inside of the said shell, and scoring the said shell on the side where the fibre is located by cutting entirely through said lining material and partially into the metal to produce the finished cap.

2. The process of producing easy open caps which comprises drawing a shell with a top wall and depending side walls from a flat composite disc of closely united sheet metal and brous material so that the latter forms a continuous lining on the inside of both top and side walls of the said shell, and scoring the top wall of the said shell on the side where the bre is located by cutting entirely through said lining material at that position and partially into the adjacent metal to produce the finished cap.

3. The process of producing easy open caps which comprisescutting a disc from a composite sheet of closely ,adhering metal and fibrous material, drawing a shell from said disc so that the said fibrous material forms a lining on the inside of the said shell, and scoring the said shell on the side where the bre is located by cutting entirely through said lining material and partially into the metal to produce the finished cap having an easily removable part.

4. An easy open cap formed from a composite sheet of metal with an inner facing of fibrous material, the sheet being scored on the side where the fibre is located and the inner facing being cut through coincident with the score line to set olf a removable part.

5. The process of making easy open caps which comprises adhering together sheet metal and a sheet of fibre to form a composite sheet, and then cutting therefrom composite blanks and forming the blanks into caps with the bre of the interior thereof, and scoring said caps on the side where the fibre is located so as to cut entirely through the bre and part way through the sheet metal of the cap.

JOHN M. I-IOTHERSALL. 

